Mississippi House takes 1st step to approve tax cut plan
Associated Press— Mississippi would phase out its income tax, reduce the sales tax on groceries and set a higher sales tax rate on many other items, under a bill that advanced Wednesday through the state House. “The bill this year is much simpler, easier to understand, and I would say to you an improved product over the bill that passed overwhelmingly in this body last year,” Ways and Means Committee Chairman Trey Lamar, a Republican from Senatobia, said during House debate. One Voice, a group that advocates policies to help low-income residents, said the House proposal “largely benefits the state’s wealthiest.” “The state’s surplus is not enough to support much-needed investments in the public services that Mississippians want, like quality schools, affordable healthcare, solid infrastructure, safe neighborhoods, and affordable housing,” One Voice said in a news release. If the general sales tax were to increase by the proposed amount, for example, a person buying $100 of clothing would pay $8.50 in sales tax rather than the current $7.